Sports Jerks: Bad Attitude and Boorish Behaviour

Sports Jerks: Bad Attitude and Boorish Behaviour

From Mike Tyson's 'Baddest Man on the Planet' persona to Sean Avery's on and off ice antics, we've seen plenty of jerks invade the world of sports. Here's QMI Agency's list of the worst Jerky Boys.

The NFL is littered with players who have real attitude issues, or worse, legal issues. But Adam 'Pacman' Jones takes the cake for his boorish behaviour over the years. Remember the time he "made it rain" while attending a Las Vegas strip club with Nelly then got ticked when the dancers started collecting the cash? Just the tip of the iceberg, folks. (AP Photo/Rutherford County Sheriff's Dept.)

AP

Bill Romanowski considered himself a tough-guy during his NFL career with the 49ers, Eagles, Broncos and, shockingly, the Raiders. Most just considered him a jerk. He was also one of the dirtiest players in the league, which he probably considered a badge of honour. He once spit in an opponent's face, kicked another in the face and threw a football at Bryan Cox's, uh, nether regions. Oh, he also attacked a teammate during a scrimmage and, once he retired, admitted to using steroids. Yep, he was the complete package.

Albert (Don't Call Me Joey) Belle was so much more than the first player to top the $10 million annual salary list in MLB. Oh, no, he was much more. The Cleveland Indians annually billed him $10,000 for damage caused to clubhouses. Most infamously, Belle once drove after some kids, who were being a little rowdy on Halloween, and wound up hitting one. As a player he was mostly surly and tried to use his bad attitude to intimidate the media. When Belle retired, New York Daily News columnist Bill Madden wrote "Sorry, there'll be no words of sympathy here for Albert Belle. He was a surly jerk before he got hurt and now he's a hurt surly jerk. He was no credit to the game."

Public Enemy No. 1 for Canadian MMA fans is Nick Diaz, who used his abrasive personality in an attempt to get under the skin of champion Georges St. Pierre before they met earlier this month in Montreal. Diaz might be a good fighter but he, for lack of a better term, is an ass. (MARTIN CHEVALIER/QMI Agency)

Unfortunately, the sports world is not immune from jerk-disease, that combination at bad attitude and arrogance that makes people cringe.

The good news is there aren't many complete jerks in pro sports, especially in our beloved NHL. But there have been more than a few over the years and they always seem to get plenty of attention.

You might recall Nick Diaz's awful behaviour — it's nothing new for the Jerk Hall of Famer — before his fight with Georges St. Pierre earlier this month. It sparked QMI Agency to dig a little deeper and take a look at some of the biggest blockheads we've seen take to an athletic arena.

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Sports Jerks: Bad Attitude and Boorish Behaviour

Unfortunately, the sports world is not immune from jerk-disease, that combination at bad attitude and arrogance that makes people cringe.

The good news is there aren't many complete jerks in pro sports, especially in our beloved NHL. But there have been more than a few over the years and they always seem to get plenty of attention.

You might recall Nick Diaz's awful behaviour — it's nothing new for the Jerk Hall of Famer — before his fight with Georges St. Pierre earlier this month. It sparked QMI Agency to dig a little deeper and take a look at some of the biggest blockheads we've seen take to an athletic arena.